‘Death’ puts focus on life at homes for elderly

The case of an elderly Shanghai patient mistaken for dead and nearly taken away by mortuary workers this week may appear to be an isolated case of bureaucratic incompetence.

But the incident is expected to have far wider ramifications given China’s rapidly ageing population and the growing number of families who choose to put their elderly relatives in homes.

In a video that went viral, workers turned up at a home for the elderly in the city to collect the body of a man presumed dead, only to realise when loading the body bag that he was still very much alive.

The local government confirmed the blunder and at least six people were fired or reprimanded over the incident, which triggered a strong public backlash. Responses ranged from incredulity to indignation, with many people calling for greater accountability from those responsible.

The fact that such a mistake happened in Shanghai, a first-tier city, prompted some commenters to wonder about the state of affairs in elderly care facilities elsewhere in the country.

Some said they would think twice about placing their parents in such homes, while others said it was vital for family members to check in with the centres regularly to ensure their elderly relatives were well taken care of.

In China, seniors are traditionally looked after by their family members. The country has in the past decade adhered to a “9073” guideline, in which 90 per cent of senior citizens remain at home, 7 per cent receive help from the community, and only 3 per cent are looked after by an institution.

But given China’s rapid development and increased population mobility, a wide array of mostly for-profit senior centres have been built in recent years.

Experts anticipate a cultural shift, not least because declining birth rates mean there will be fewer young people to care for the elderly in future.

In 2020, there were more than 38,000 institutions across China catering to the country’s estimated 264 million senior citizens, according to government data.

Some of these centres have been criticised for their lack of professionalism, and even face accusations of ill-treating or abusing residents.

Given this backdrop, the Shanghai incident is likely to linger in the minds of many Chinese and will repeatedly crop up in public discussions on how the country can best look after its growing number of senior citizens.